Let's face it, if it wasn't for The OC
this band wouldn't be half as big as they are. Now I'm not saying Death Cab don't deserve the plaudits - this is a great record after all - but their sudden leap to a major label, late night talk shows and a massive surge in popularity is pretty much down to Seth Cohen. I guess it doesn't matter how you get recognised as long as you do, so if thousands of people picked up this record on the back of hearing or seeing the band on a hit TV show, I guess some good comes out of it. 'Transatlanticism' was released pre-The OC and I'm reviewing it now because I'm very bored at work and it's about the only CD I can play without people going 'what's that noise?' Plus they recognise it as 'that band that play on that TV show with the beautiful people...'
This record is beautifully crafted. It's eclectic yet poppy, cynical yet bittersweet. It is dark in tone yet on the surface it is just a clever pop record with a tonne of hooks and melodies that will have you singing along in no time. Death Cab are a band that have the ability to appeal to the indie kids because of each song's undertones - there's so much more to this band than their catchy hooks. Which is exactly why they're now getting mainstream attention, because those not clever enough to work out the genius of this band can simply settle for the melodies. Tracks like 'Title and Registration' and 'The New Year' are gorgeous, while 'Tiny Vessels' is stunning.
I don't need to sit and write a thousand words on this record because I know there will be several user reviews that will arguably go into more depth than me. 'Transatlanticism' is a beautiful record from start to finish. It's clever lyrically, in-depth musically and even the sparse artwork leaves you thinking about what relevance this has to the general theme of the album. I guess this record is selling more copies per week now than it was when it was originally released about three years back - but this has to be a good thing. Maybe the die-hards have been pissed off that 'their' band were swallowed up by a TV show based in Newport Beach, but if many more people are exposed to a quality record then that must be a very good thing.
www.deathcabforcutie.com
Barsuk
Paul
